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Updates from our Communities
NAKASEC eNewsletter, May 2012
KRCC | KRC | NAKASEC
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Upcoming Events
- June 15 - Uprise3: Now We Present the Dream: 6 pm at Alternatives - 4730 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60640 (Contact: Chan Kho Kim, chankho@chicagokrcc.org)
- June 16 - College Voter Challenge Celebration at KRC - 900 S Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019 (Contact: Dayne Lee, dayne@krcla.org)
- June 23 - Citizenship Workshop at Truman College - 1145 W Wilson Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640 (Contact: Ju Young Oh, juyoung@chicagokrcc.org)
- June 14 to 24 - Real Korea Summer Camp (Contact: 224-836-1655)
Voter registration drives happening all throughout the month! Contacts:
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KRC contacts 20,000 voters
Ahead of the June 5 California primary elections, KRC contacted over 20,000 Korean American voters in Southern California. Over 35 volunteers, ranging from high school and college students to retired seniors, have been volunteering every day to make this happen.
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Caption: KRC youth volunteers phone bank to encourage the Korean American vote (Photo credit: KRC)
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20,000 voters in Orange and Los Angeles Counties received robo calls and bi-lingual voter guidebooks produced by KRC containing information about the ballot propositions and Los Angeles local measures, as well as information about the new top-two primary system. Additionally, phone banking to 2,700 voters was conducted to encourage their vote and support for progressive budgets and tax reforms that will reinvest in the American Dream and benefit all immigrant families.
Also to date, staff and volunteers have registered 1,258 voters, called 3,196 voters and provided assistance to 240 voters through KRC's voter hotline.
Are you interested in volunteering and encouraging the Korean American vote? Contact Dayne Lee, KRC's Civic Participation Coordinator at dayne@krcla.org.
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State Advocacy Days
Mobilizing Broad Support for Inclusive Policies
California
On May 21, the 16th annual Immigrant Day was held in Sacramento drawing hundreds of community members and advocates who rallied behind the theme "One California" and called for state to lead the nation with inclusive policies.
During the morning rally, participants gathered on the North Steps of the State Capitol to urge their legislators to support the 2012 Immigrant Day Policy Platform that recognizes the contributions of immigrant Californians. KRC's community leader Kang Nam Lee spoke on SB 1313, a bill that would protect new health care enrollees from fraud and deceptive marketing.
View the platform online. Top priorities are the following:
- AB 1081 (Ammiano) - Trust Act
- AB 889 (Ammiano) - Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
- AB 1964 (Yamada) - Workplace Religious Freedom Act
- SB 1064 (De Leon) - Reuniting Immigrant Families Act
- SB 1313 (Lieu) - Protecting New Health Care Enrollees from Fraud & Deceptive Marketing
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Caption: KRC members pose with Senator Kevin De Leon after a legislative visit (Photo credit: KRC)
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Illinois
On May 8, KRCC sent a delegation to Springfield to join other advocates for a day of legislative meetings and events to show support on key issues critical to the immigrant community including:
- House Joint Resolution 87, which recognizes the contributions of immigrants and the citizenship process in Illinois;
- Asian American State Employment Plan, (HB 4510) which seeks to better serve, represent and integrate Asian American communities within state government;
- Creation of the new Asian American Caucus
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Caption: Participants gather at the kick-off of the Asian American Caucus at the Capitol Building in Springfield (Photo credit: KRCC)
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DSF application forms received!
Applications for our 5th Annual DREAM Scholarship Funds have arrived and they came from all over the country - from California, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.
We send our sincerest thanks to those who helped get the word out and raise important funds thus far! And we're still fundraising! If you haven't donated to DSF yet, you can do so here.
Stay tuned for announcement of DSF recipients at the end of June!
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Keeping Families United
On May 31, the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) along with the Alliance for a Just Society released "Promises to Keep," a storybook that includes stories of hardships that families go through when they are separated under current laws and regulations. As part of FIRM, NAKASEC has been urging the Obama Administration to strengthen and implement what we call the "Family Unity Waiver," a proposed change in federal regulations.
In January 2012, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service announced a proposed new rule change that would allow spouses and children of US citizens to stay in the states as they apply for legal permanent resident status. Currently immigrants are required to leave the country and possibly risk triggering a 3 and 10 year bar from returning to their families. This rule change could potentially allow hundreds of thousands of families to stay together.
NAKASEC has generated comments from nearly 100 Korean American and Asian American community members. We stand by our allies in pushing for this rule change that represents an important first step to keep families together in the immigration system.
Download the storybook.
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New Organizing Project:
Generation 3
Youth blogging team formed. Ready to go.
It's back! Our social media and blogging project is starting again with a new team of youth bloggers from California, Virginia and Georgia!
Following a skills building training in Washington D.C. in June, NOP: Generation 3 bloggers will begin their rounds, as did their Generation 1 and Generation 2 predecessors, in bringing us fresh reads on issues that impact Asian American youth and communities.
Be on the lookout! Follow us on Twitter (@nakasec #NOPit)! And join the conversation!
Special thanks to Southwest for supporting our project and training!
"Southwest Airlines: Official Airline of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC). Stop searching for low fares and start traveling! Go to southwest.com-the only place to find all of Southwest Airlines' low fares to the places you love!"
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About Us
The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) was founded in 1994 by local community centers to project a national progressive voice and promote the full participation of Korean Americans as a part of a greater goal of building a national movement for social change. NAKASEC is based in Los Angeles and a D.C. office opened in September 2008. NAKASEC also has affiliates in Los Angeles (The Korean Resource Center) and in Chicago (The Korean American Resource & Cultural Center).
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